St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-03-12
DR.. Halls Estimate of Beecher's Life and
Work at the Plymouth Church
Services.
An Eloquent Tribute From the Episcopal
Divine to the Virtues Of his Old
Friend
The Casket Fairly Walled About
With Mass of Fragrant
Flowers.
Additional Thousands Take Fare
we'll Look at the Face of the
Dead.

was in mourning to-day over the ueatll ol
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. The puDhc
offices were closed, business was entirely
suspended and memorial services were held
in a large number of the churches In the
vicinity of Plymouth church. The up
town streets looked deserted. AS early as
: o'clock Fulton avenue was thronged with
people hurrying in the direction OF Ply
mouth church. Police We're stationed at
the ends of the block on which the church
is situated. and no one was allowed to pass
through the lines unless with ticket.
Before o'clock the line in Orange
street was two blocks long. three abreast.
The side streets were packed with people
who hung around hoping that they might
be able to get III without ticket.
The members of Plymouth Com
many G.. of the Thirteenth reg
iment. of which Mr.. Beecher was chaplain,
were stationed at the doors of the church
and in the lecture room. While the vast
crowd of people were gathering outside OF
the church, the lady members OF the con-
gregation were working like beavers within
dressing the pulpit and casket with flowers.
The whole interior was turned INTO
A PERFECT FLOWER GARDEN,
and the fragrant perfume of the roses per-
yaded the air. The walls. galleries and
organ were covered with evergreens. palms
and Gala lilies. The reading desk was
covered with roses and vines, as was also
the chair in which Mr.. Beecher sat for so
many wears In the center of the organ
loft was Il floral emblem in the shape of
triangle. on the top of which were perched
Two white doves with two white ribbons in
their bills. The facade of the gallery was
covered with potted plants. The pulpit
was loaded down with flowers and floral
emblems sent by friends and differ
eut organizations. The casket was placed
on catafalque of white roses, white car
nations and smilaX directly in front of the
reading desk Mrs. 5. V. White and sew
eral others devoted their time before the
doors were opened i'll covering the casket
with lilies of the valley. roses smilaX,
maiden fern. tube-rOses and French moss.
When they finished not vestige of the
black cloth covering of the casket could be
seen. There was nothing to indicate the
presence of death except the stiffness
which pervaded the room and the hushed
conversation of the workers The church
had more the appearance OF wedding
than funeral. 1t was nearly 10 O'Clock
before the doors were thrown open to those
who had been waiting without the doors
lmpatiently for nearly three hours.
THE PEOPLE
entered by the Orange street entrance and
were shown to their seats by the uSherS.
During the time that the audience were be-
ing shown to their seats the OrganiSt played
low sweet music upon the grand organ.
The first four seats on the right of the cen
ter aisle were reserved for relatives of the
.leceased's family. Mrs. Beecher was in
the church few minutes before the doors
were opened and left with her sons before
Lhe crowd entered. On the left side OF the
center aisle were the members Of the Cleri-
cal union, of which Mr.. Beecher was Il
member for a number OF years. Behind
these were seated the officers OF the Thir-
Teenth regiment and them came the mem
pers of the legislative committee. who
wore badges made of white silk. Behind
these were delegates from nearly every
social political or religious organization
in New York and Brooklyn. There was also
a delegation Of cOlored ministers present
at 1880 O'clock Rev. Dir. Charles II. Hall.
ROBBED in his white surplice and accompanied
by Rev. S: b. Halliday. entered the church
and assembled the platform. When the
music ceased Dr.. Hall commenced to read
III low but clear tones the opening SEN
fences of the Protestant Episcopal burial
service After this double Quaftette, conf
posed of Mrs. Shelly. soprano; Miss Cav
anagh, alto; Mrs. Grant, soprano: Mrs.
Rosan alto; Mr.. Golf, Warren Roth, tenor;
Air. Brown, Mr.. Stems, basso. and
\ CHORUS OF SIXTY VOICES
sang the burial chant, Lord, Let Me Know
Mine End" The lesson was read by DR..
Hall and prayer was delivered by Rev. S.
IL. Halliday. The rest OF the musical pro-
ssramme was as follows:
Artbo,r-EsRIaSced 4 hn DaDarfa0
Hymn-"Jesus, Lover of My Soul"
Sentence--.I Hear Voice.
Hymn-"Hark, Hank, My Soul
The organ was presided at by Henry E.
Brown and Gen. H. c. King. After the
first lesson Mr.. Hall commenced his ora
ton. During its delivery there was not
dry eve in the house and several times he
was comp PEELED to stop for time to gain
control OF Nis voice. Rev. DR.. Hall said:
1.-The hand shat rests so still yonder laid
aside the pen over page Of the unfinished
Life of Christ Possibly the last flash OF
thought as the conviction drew upon him OF
the probable end OF life was that his life was
10 be left unfinished, that he had not told all
men that he would have them know of that
precious revelation. Possibly as the spirit
ned away to be with Christ, whom he had been
serving, the full knowledge came 10 him
OFTHAT sH0RELESs OCEAN
of eternal life which is to know God and
Jesus Christ. whom he hath sent; that is the
beautiful vision, the love of Christ which
passeth knowledge. We dwell on one tiny
bay OF it here and dream about it. The de-
parted saints of God have already put out on
its Unreasonable spaces and learned that
The Life of Christ is never finished. 1t
Us the one WORD of God which is ever
spoken, echoing again and again, on and
oil, with ceaseless reverberations, down the
centuries Ii there was one thing that stirred
the heart that now rests from its labOrs more
than any other, that has marked his lie and
makes his memory 10 us now, ii was his many
sided utteranceS of Christ living and going
about among men: the Master who first and
EAST asks us to believe in Him rather than to
believe what others say about Him. The
radical question OF this age has been: Is
there IL faculty of illuminated reason TO reeog-
ME living Christ who can talk OF us, and by
abe greatest communication OF this mind and
spirit. directly lead us into all Truths. The
question gathers voice and insists upon an
answer. 1t will not be put OF by any com
promises with past orders and institutions but
WenewS itself at every turn. echoing in every
advance in science and art and comes ~ in
every development of literature aud Sociul
progress. is there
A FAITH IN CHRIST
behind the Consciousness OF TIE individual
Ehat can he to him the very word of God-the
illuminated mandatory conscience. In Il
country that dreams rs yet OF government
pf the people and for the people, that queS-
lion is inevitable, and even if it should send
the sword among us for awhile in the effort
for peace. it mast be answered. 1t is not an
accident then, altogether, that the man
whose life has been nodded by that question
and Its possible answer should have paused
Ou the unfinished volume OF the Life of
Christ" He has been man OF the people,
Christward. We remind you IN 1t though the
SpglIsh-speaking race to-day nourns his fall
and recognizes bis loss, Americans feel that he
has been great leader and adviser in the guild
since of all manner of substantial interests: